Interviewer: How did you hear about plans to film the movie The Ultimate Gift?

Drew: I'd just been shooting a movie in Europe for three months, and I'd been home for about two. I got ahold of the script and I woke up one morning, rolled over in my bed, sat up, read the script, and cried my eyes out, and then called my manager and said, "I have to meet them immediately. I love this project. It's amazing. It's like the dream role. I want to do this, I want to go ride the motorcycles, I want to be in prison, and I want to have the penthouse, and I want to drive this sick muscle car. It's just awesome. And I want to cry, and I want to feel, and I want to lose myself and find myself and the whole thing." And they said, "Good. Go do well in the meeting."

Interviewer: I hear you have a unique approach for feeling at home whenever you travel for a movie?

Drew: Yeah. Whenever I leave town to go do a movie - I was born and raised in Los Angeles - I have a tendency to cut myself off from my friends, my family, my life because I'm going to a new place where I become a new character. That new place is my new home. The people there are my family, my friends. If I keep thinking about home and what I'm missing, then its not fair to the character or to the story. We (actors) have the greatest gift in the world. I mean, I get paid to play for a living. And I love that. I try to live it up as much as I can and be as present as possible.

Interviewer: How do you view your responsibility as an actor?

Drew: It's a huge responsibility. This character has five, six, seven layers. Just when you think you've hit a new level, you dig a little deeper and there's another level there. And to be involved in a script that's opening me up to that... that's what it's all about. Pushing me. I'm uncomfortable. I'm nervous. I get scared before I go on set, because I'm hitting levels and I'm doing things I've never done before, things that I've never had to do. And the fact that I've been challenged in this way, and hopefully living up to the challenge, and meeting each one as they come, is very gratifying. So when this is all said and done and the final product is out there, I know that I approached it with my heart and soul and gave it my best. And it has definitely pushed me to a new level as an actor. It has changed me forever. I mean, granted, the story is the one that changes people because it's such a beautiful tale.

Interviewer: How close has your own life been to the character Jason?

Drew: I am nowhere near a billionaire's grandson, but I was fortunate to be raised in Newport Beach, California, the orange curtain, or the bubble, as some people like to refer to it in Southern California, because it's like this little bubble, country club right on the beach. I mean, my first period in high school was surfing. It's ridiculous and amazing. And the cars in my high school were Mercedes and BMWs, the latest and greatest lifted trucks, and awesome muscle cars. Anything and everything. I saw what money could do to so many people. I think I've lost contact with almost every single person from my high school except for two. But I saw how it affected these kids. Now when I go home to visit my parents, who still live there, I can see it. It's worse now, but maybe that's because I'm older and more mature. I can see how spoiled everyone is. A lot of it is really ugly. That's what Jason is trying to hide, that ugliness. He has this really sleek facade of the coolest, most amazing tools, the most beautiful... the coolest apartment. So that was my bridge. That was Drew bridging to Jason. And after that, I treat each character like an island, you know. Where I'm at and where the character in the story needs to be. So I find my bridge to get there, and once I'm there, the bridge goes away and I build my character from the ground up.

Interviewer: How was it to work with James Garner?

Drew: What can you say? He's a legend. He's done well over a hundred movies. We actually only filmed one scene together for just one day. It was a surreal moment - in the same vein as Field of Dreams. In the scene, it was like his material body was in front of me, but really it was just an image on screen. I don't think it's sunk in yet. We're acting opposite each other and I'm crying and he's crying and we just give each other this huge hug at the end. After our scene, he took me to dinner at Cracker Barrel. I got sick mid-meal because he was force feeding me all this food like country-fried steak, gravy, fried okra, dumplings... it was a disaster! And he was just laughing. Another legend is Brian Dennehy. On the set, Dennehy came to the conclusion that this is his 117th film. He's great. Oh man, in one of his first scenes he comes out of the house with the Brian Dennehy smile and the "ho ho ho"... and I was thinking, "Yes, that's the Dennehy I know. That's the guy I saw in the movies." Amazing actor. Huge theater actor. He just came off of eight months in London doing "Death of a Salesman" where he just got nominated for an Olivier, which is equivalent of a Tony in America. He's this amazing theater actor. I relished every moment. I wouldn't leave the set; I just watched what he did. You couldn't have gotten a better cast. Everyone is so perfect for their role.

Interviewer: Do you think that one of the 12 gifts stands out as "the ultimate gift"?

Drew: No, they're all equally important. Every single "gift" that Jason receives is a necessity. He needs each to progress, to become a man, to have a real sense of soul. He needs to embody and overcome all these things. So there's not one that sticks out more than another or resonates most with me. I've treated them all as equally important because they were all issues that needed to be dealt with.

Interviewer: Is there an essential message to this movie?

Drew: Yes, there is but I think I'd like to keep that to myself. Each person will leave the theater taking something from the story. And maybe one particular gift will resonate with them. As a character approaching it, all the gifts are equally important. But as a viewer, it might be one gift, "the gift of work" for instance, resonates with you. Maybe it is something you need to address in your life. I hope everyone takes something from it and be motivated to change something about themselves for the greater good.

Interviewer: You say you make a place your home. What's it like shooting in Charlotte?

Drew: I wish I knew. I've had maybe six days off since I've been here, so I really haven't had a chance to explore. What I've seen of it, I love. Everyone's really friendly. I love that there's an actual season called fall. Leaves are turning colors and all of a sudden trees aren't green anymore. They're red and brown. You just don't have that in LA. I talked to my parents yesterday, and its 87 degrees there. That's beautiful and nice and fantastic, but... it's November, it's Thanksgiving, I want cold, I want scarves, I want red trees, I want crunchy leaves on the ground. I guess it's old fashioned but Charlotte has all that. I like how crisp the air is and how sweet everyone is. But I don't think I could ever live in a place like this full time. I respond to too much to energy, to action. I want to be in the thick of things.

Other excerpts about Drew:

Interview with Abigail Breslin

Interviewer: Tell us how it's been working with Drew Fuller.

Abigail: Oh. He throws so many temper tantrums. He like kicks his feet in the air and says everything... no, just kidding about that. He's really nice. It's like working with a big brother.

Interviewer: Is it true he asked you to marry him?

Abigail: Yes, he did ask me to marry him. I said no.

Interview with Ali Hillis

Interviewer: How was it working with Drew Fuller?

Ali: I really enjoy working with Drew. The very first time I met Drew Fuller was in a callback for this movie, and I think we had chemistry right off the bat. It was an interesting chemistry because I think he truly has pieces of himself that he's able to use in his character. And then he's able to soften those pieces and create the person that I had to fall in love with. It's wonderful to watch him on-site because he really embodies each piece of this character as it goes through the cycle of receiving the ultimate gift.

Interview with Lee Merriwether

Interviewer: What are your thoughts on Drew Fuller's embodiment of the character Jason?

Lee: Drew Fuller is a delight. He has a wonderful sense of humor. And very witty. He makes his transition into Jason's character look so easy. It's a joy to watch.

Interview with Bill Cobbs

Interviewer: How do you think Drew did embodying Jason?

Bill: Drew is a lot like Jason in terms of enthusiasm. Drew's a very athletic, active young man. He really enjoys his work. When you work with somebody like that, you enjoy the work, too. I think he's just perfect for the character he's playing.